|
His
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party says he is a
candidate to become prime minister for a fourth term. The
veteran politician arrived back home in October from four years
of self-imposed exile in London.
Sharif now just needs the removal of a life ban on holding any
public office to qualify to stand in the elections, scheduled
for Feb. 8, 2024.
On Tuesday, the Islamabad High Court overturned a 2018
conviction on charges of not being able to prove sources of
income for setting up a steel mill in Saudi Arabia, his lawyer
Amjad Pervaiz said. Sharif had been given a seven-year prison
sentence for this.
His party spokesperson, Marriyum Aurangzeb, hailed the ruling,
saying it was a made-up case that was bound to be thrown out.
Sharif has already been acquitted of a separate 2018 conviction
on corruption charges in a case linked to his family's purchase
of upscale London flats, for which he had been sentenced to 10
years in jail.
He had been out on bail pending appeals against the graft
convictions, and had always denied any wrongdoing, saying the
charges were politically motivated.
Analysts have said that Sharif's relationship with the country's
powerful military, which mostly decides who will rule the nation
of 241 million people, is now in a cordial phase that could
boost him against his rivals.
Sharif has alleged that the military backed his 2017 ouster to
bring Imran Khan to power in elections the following year. Khan
himself is now jailed on corruption charges he denies.
Sharif and Khan's political parties are seen as the main
contenders in the upcoming election.
The military and Khan fell out in 2022, and over the last few
months they have been involved in a bruising showdown, which has
afforded Sharif some political space.
The military denies that it interferes in politics.
(Reporting by Asif Shahzad; Editing by Frances Kerry)
[© 2023 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
Copyright 2022 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may
not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
|
|
